Case Number 13746

THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL (BLU-RAY)

The Charge

The ambitious Anne Boleyn and her sister Mary rival for the bed and heart of
King Henry VIII.

Opening Statement

Us Americans and our wacky distrust of period films; it's almost as if
between gulps of Velveeta and Pepsi that when we see that a film is set in the
14th and 15th centuries, we've got to shut off and dismiss it out of hand, no
matter who might be involved or attached to the project. And while The Other
Boleyn Girl had some du jour eye candy, it didn't manage to catch on
like the wildfire some might have hoped for. So what gives?

Facts of the Case

Peter Morgan (The Queen) adapted Philippa Gregory's novel which Justin
Chadwick (Bleak House) directed. As a means to give his family more
notoriety and wealth, the Duke of Norfolk (David Morrissey, The Reaping)
discusses with his brother-in-law Sir Thomas Boleyn (Mark Rylance, Prospero's
Books) the possibility of getting Thomas' daughters closer to King Henry
VIII (Eric Bana, Troy), whose wife, Katherine of Aragon (Ana Torrent,
14, Fabian Road) is unable to bear any more children and thus, unable to
continue the bloodline via a male heir. Thomas first lines up his daughter Anne
(Natalie Portman, V for Vendetta) to be his interest, but this doesn't
come to plan because of an accident that injures Henry. So the other daughter
Mary (Scarlett Johansson, Lost in Translation) is the next one up despite
already being married, and she helps tend to Henry when he is injured, without
seemingly to have an idea of what she's supposed to do. In the midst of this,
Anne acts out in rebellion and banished to France, a bit of a suspension if you
will. She comes back possessing more intellect and instantly draws Henry's
interest, though she resists him. His urges are used against him by Anne, first
to not speak to Mary again, just moments after she has a baby boy that could be
is, and then to later renounce the Catholic Church's authority to divorce his
wife and marry Anne. How'd that work out? While not a completely true-to-life
account of events, The Other Boleyn girl was based on a novel to begin
with, so don't gripe.

The Evidence

Some people have cited the main fault of The Other Boleyn Girl as
being a little too much on the soap opera tip of things. And, compared to
historical events, there are some radical liberties taken (history shows us that
Henry and Anne found out that Katherine had died at one point and the pair was
celebratory as a result), but when it comes to target audiences, The Other
Boleyn Girl was looking more towards the dramatic, rather than the accurate,
to begin with. Like it or not, The Other Boleyn Girl features a
compelling little story for most of the film. You've got this sniping battle
among sisters, one of whom is more focused on the important things (like family)
while the other has her eyes on the prize. You've got the most powerful man in
the land, seemingly having his chance at any woman he wants, or has presented to
him, and he's willing to give up whatever he needs to in order to get what he
wants. He pursues that which is retreating from him.

What also occurs in The Other Boleyn Girl is a strong message for
women's rights without having to preach to hard on it. We all know that women
have had it rough for a long time, but what occurs, simply by letting the film's
events unfold, is nothing short of astounding. The women in the film find
themselves at the mercies of their families, and Anne and Mary are virtually
prostituted by their father and uncle without any remorse or second thought;
it's embarrassing. Still though, when a women does find herself on equal ground
with the men, such as the case when Anne returns from her international travel
and manipulates Henry with her brains and her beauty, and when she starts to
rely on it like a crutch, Henry seems to do anything to make her happy, and when
he realizes the ramifications of it (not to mention some desperation by Anne),
Anne takes too much advantage of her weapons, and pays the ultimate price for
it.

All the way around, the cast's performances seem to be capable, though
there's not too much new ground that's broken. As a much slimmer Henry, Bana
seems to be a passionate man, and when he finds out that he's done all these
things for Anne with no real benefit, you almost seem like he is going to turn
green near the end, but his role is fine. Portman seems to be the one who pushes
the equal rights message, but her British accent comes off as a little too thick
at times, and you can't help but see a little Padme in her scenes. Johansson has
spent the most time in period dramas and seems the most comfortable in her role,
even if her presence in the film is a little lacking. There are other supporting
cast members that contribute, including the Boleyn's mother (Kristin Scott
Thomas, Mission: Impossible), and they help complement the stars.

Presented in 1.85:1 widescreen with the AVC MPEG-4 codec, The Other
Boleyn Girl is shot using the Genesis High Definition camera, and things
look rather vivid to match the color palette of the times. Flesh tones look warm
and realistic, and fine detail can be gained on most every shot. There appeared
to be instances where blacks seemed to fluctuate (or maybe it was just me), but
overall this is quite the solid presentation. On the audio side, Dolby TrueHD
5.1 surround graces the feature, and as it's a mainly dialogue-driven affair,
everything is in the front speaker and presented a little on the soft side.
While there are some directional effects and an occasional moment for the
subwoofer to engage, the soundstage is pretty limited, and aside from having to
crank the receiver, things sound fine.

Extras-wise, a couple of Blu-ray exclusives kick things off, the first being
a picture-in-graphics track that, while featuring some of the usual production
and trivia tidbits, also contains a host of trivia about the period past the
initial material, so that is refreshing. You see biographical information on the
characters, historical details, the works, and you can navigate them similarly
to the Warner In Movie Experience, and it's a fun experience. In addition,
Chadwick's commentary is decent, although there's a lot of dead air after the
first half hour or so, but he does manage to talk about what he liked about the
material and his thoughts on what it took to pull off the filming, you know, the
usual director-type stuff. A dozen deleted and extended scenes follow (23:46),
one of which was an alternate ending which features slightly different
postscript cards and possibly a slightly recut ending. From there, some
additional footage that further deepens the relationship between Mary and Henry
follow, including some more time on Mary's family, including a sequence when
she's at her husband's side as he succumbs to illness. All in all, some of this
probably could have been included in the final cut, while other footage seemed
redundant. Moving onto the three featurettes on the disc, "To Be a
Lady" (10:33) features impressions and opinions of how women had to live
and tolerate the times, with many authors and historians sharing their two cents
on the matter, with clothing, dynamics, rituals and customs shown, among a whole
host of material. "Translating History to Screen" (10:06) discusses
the whole "reel vs. real" aspect of the production, and the lengths
taken to get things right to achieve the balance. The cast discusses what they
liked about the material and what the story is all about, while some camera test
footage (2:16) includes Chadwick's narration and his reasoning for shooting in
high definition. "Members of the Court" (16:48) focuses on the legacy
the figures had and some details about them. If you're new to the period as I
was, you'll learn a few things, like Henry VII having the "pre-Army
Elvis" period before succumbing to the "Las Vegas Elvis" period
of his life. The cast members discuss their characters and what they knew of
them, and a whole bevy of information on Henry, Anne, Mary, Katherine, George
Boleyn and the Duke of Norfolk can be found here. Trailers for a whole host of
Sony films complete the disc.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

In retrospect while watching the film for a second time, the second and third
act where Anne is occupying Mary's space and taking over her man to boot,
sometimes it does feel like you're watching a centuries-old version of the
Jerry Springer Show. And when things fall, they fall rather predictably
because at least you know how one of the characters will meet their fate.

Closing Statement

To quote the lovely Mrs. Keefer, "if they told history like THAT, then
I'd watch more of these!" I've got to admit, at least in this case, I agree
with her. The Other Boleyn Girl slightly modernizes what could easily
have been a muddled mess, and the result is an entertaining little film that's
designed to get you good brownie points with the women. Trust me on this.

The Verdict

Period historians might give this film a guilty verdict, however based on the
intentions, the court is willing to let The Other Boleyn Girl go free on
its own recognizance.